Portable sun bath enclosure



Mam}! 1957 c. L. CAREY PORTABLE SUN BATH ENCLOSURE Filed June 10, 1953Wu F INVENTOR. CHARLES L. CAREY ATTORNEYS United States Patent PORTABLESUN BATH ENCLOSURE Charles L. Carey, Lawrence, Mass.

Application June 10, 1953, Serial No. 360,765

3 Claims. (Cl. 135-1) This invention relates to sun bath enclosures orcabinets especially for use on the sand at a beach by one or twopersons.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a portable, onepiece collapsible enclosure that is supported only by flexible,inflatable means and does not require any rigid framework, guy ropes orguy wires.

Another object of the invention is to form such an enclosure entirely oftranslucent or transparent sheet material panels, except for the floorpanel, thereby permitting the occupant to see and be seen while beingprotected from the wind, sand and rain.

Still another object of the inventionis to form said translucent panelsof material capable of transmitting the rays of the sun, either tintedor untinted, thereby enabling the occupant to become tanned.

A further object of the invention is to form the inflatable tube or cellmeans of the self supporting panels of the enclosure of similartranslucent sheet material to that of the panels whereby no tubular orcellular bracing is evident or blocks the view.

A still further object of the invention is to provide novel means forsimultaneously inflating all inflatable supports of the enclosure from asingle air valve.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of elongatedpockets in the floor panel of the enclosure, each capable ofaccommodating the adjacent roof and end panels when not inflated.

Another object of the invention is to incorporate anchoring meanstherein, in the form of corner grommets in the floor panel whereby theenclosure may be staked down on the sand.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sun bath enclosureconstructed according to the preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, in section, on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view, on a much reduced scale of the device shown inFig. I spread out flat prior to folding into a compact bundle.

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of a modified form of the invention.

In Figs. 1-3 a preferred form of the invention is illustrated, thecollapsible enclosure A being formed from the one piece member shownspread out flat in Fig. 3. Member 10 includes a flat rectangular floorpanel 11, which may be of the same material as the remainder of theenclosure plus a backing of any suitable sheet material such asblanketing, a pair of rectangular panels 12 and 13, called roof panelsherein, but each forming a side wall as well as a portion of the roofand a pair of triangular and panels 14 and 15.

The roof panels 12 and 13 and the end panels 14 and 15 are eachpreferably formed of translucent and preferably transparent sheetmaterial which may be tinted any desired color and may be of flexiblesheet plastic such as Vinylite or the like. Each end panel 14 and 15 ishingedly connected at 16 or 17 to an opposite end of a roof panel suchas 12 or 13 and preferably isintegral therewith. Each roof panel 12 and13 is hingedly connected at 18 or 19, proximate its lower longitudinaledge, just inside and opposite overfolded longitudinal side edge portionof floor panel 11.

Preferably floor panel 11 extends beyond the longitudinal lines 18 and19, on each side thereof and is then bent back upon itself to form .apair of elongated, narrow strips 20 and 21 extending-longitudinally oneach opposite side of floor panel 11. A pair of narrow elongated pockets22 and 23 are thus formed by strips 20 and 21 into each of which theadjacent roof and end panel may be tucked, if the enclosure is not to beerected.

Preferably grommets 25, 26, 27 and 28 are provided in or near each ofthe four corners of floor panel 11, not only serving to join the ends ofstrips 20 and 21 to form pockets 22 and 23 but also accommodating stakessuch as S by which the enclosure is anchored in the sand.

The flexible translucent sheet material of roof panels 12 and 13 may beintegral with, or attached to floor panel 11 and secured thereto in anyconveinent manner, the essential point being that they form one piecetherewith and are not separable therefrom.

Each roof panel 12 and 13 includes inflatable air tight means of thesame flexible, transparent or translucent sheet material as the rootpanel. As shown in Figs. 1-3 the inflatable means is preferably a pairof tubes 30 and 31 on roof panel 12 and a pair of tubes 32 and 33 onroof panel 13. Each tube, such as 36), extends diagonally from oneopposite corner of a roof panel tov the opposite corner and intersectsthe other tube of the panel, such as 31, at the central portion thereof.An enlarged air tight chamber 34 or 35 may be provided at the tubeintersection to give added support and in any case, air entering one endof a tube on a roof panel will pass to all of the tubes, chambers orcells thereof, inflate the same and make the panel self supporting. Anair valve maybe provided on a tube of each roof panel, but preferably asbest shown in Fig. 3 a tube or conduit 36 connects the tubes of eachpanel 12 and 13, across floor panel 11 and an air valve 37 is mountedtherein.

Tube 36 is at one end of floor panel 11 where it may serve as an airpillow for the occupant. By providing only a somewhat skeletonized,inflatable, tubular support such as the diagonal tubes 32 and 33, forentirely supporting each roof panel, only a minor surface area of eachroof panel is occupied by the supporting means, thus avoiding theblocking of the view of the occupant even if the tubes are of nontransparent material.

Flaps such as 40 are spaced along the upper longitudinal edge 41 of aroof panel 12, each preferably having a snap fastener 42 whichcooperates with corresponding snap fasteners such as 43 spaced along theupper longitudinal edge of a roof panel 13. Similarly each end flap 14and 15 is provided with flaps 50 along an upper edge 51, each preferablyhaving a snap fastener 52 which cooperates with corresponding snapfasteners such as 53 on the end edge of the appropriate roof panel 12 or13.

The enclosure A is carried in a compact bundle with all of the panelsdeflated and folded, and the bundle preferably includes the four stakesS. Preferably also the roof and end panels on each opposite side offloor panel 11 are folded into the adjacent pocket 22 or 23, forprotection, while bundled. They may remain in such pockets after thefloor panel 11 is spread out if the device is to be used only as a beachblanket, and the stakes S may be conveniently placed in pockets 22 and23.

If the enclosure is to be erected, stakes S are passed through thegrommets 25, 26, 27 and 28 in each of the four corners of floor panel11, thereby anchoring the Patented Mar. 19, 1957 open or one or both maybe closed by means of flaps 50 to completely enclose the occupant.

It will be apparent that the one piece sun bath enclosure of thisinvention, by reason of the inflatable means incorporated into its roofpanels, is self supporting when inflated and completely independent ofrigid frame work, rigid tent poles or flexible guy wires or ropes. Aninflatable shelter tent of the A type is thus formed with the roof andends made of sheet material, whereby the occupant is protected from theelements. By using transparent or translucent sheet material, capable oftransmitting the rays of the sun for such roof panels and for theinflatable portions thereof, a sun bath enclosure is formed which may befolded and carried in a compact package or bundle.

I claim:

1. A unitary collapsible sun bath enclosure comprising a rectangulalrfloor panel of flexible, blanket like, sheet material, said floor panelbeing overfolded along each opposite longitudinal edge to form a pair ofintegral, inwardly opening, longitudinal pockets and a pair of parentsheet material, each side wall panel having one longitudinal edgeattached to said floor panel just inside the opening of the adjacentpocket and having fastening means along the other longitudinal edgethereof for forming an enclosure of triangular cross section when saidpanels are inflated and erected, said pockets 'being adapted to receivesaid panels in longitudinally folded, deflated condition.

2. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said inflatablerectangular side panels, each include an integral triangular endflap oftransparent material, adaptedto be folded therewith into the adjacentlongitudinal pocket in said floor panel.

3. A combination as specified in claim 1 plus a single air tubeextending laterally across one end of said floor panel and forming anair conduit between said inflatable side wall panels, said tube havingan air valve for intlating and deflating said panels simultaneouslyandbeing adapted to serve as an air pillow. I

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

